Media chiefs from BBC, ITV, SKY, Trinity Mirror, The Times and the Daily Telegraph will fly into Belfast for the annual three-day conference starting on 11 November.

“The UK media industry is in the midst of monumental and structural change and Belfast will play a central role in facilitating the debate about its future,” says BVCB Chief Executive, Gerry Lennon.

“To welcome Britain’s media elite in 2012, when so many other high profile events are being hosted here is a further endorsement of our collective marketing efforts in bringing business to Belfast. The benefits of hosting this forum will extend across the hospitality, transport and tourism sectors, as well as many other service providers, delivering a welcome boost to the city’s economy,” he adds.

The main conference will be hosted at the Hastings Europa Hotel and the event will include a gala dinner at Titanic Belfast. The society will host a combination of business sessions, seminars and networking opportunities during the conference period.

The Belfast bid was supported by Tourism Ireland and its Chief Executive, Niall Gibbons says: “The Society of Editors is a hugely influential group which can help us greatly in publicising the new, vibrant Belfast and Northern Ireland in overseas tourism markets. The decision to choose Belfast over other UK cities confirms that we can compete successfully against many of the most popular conference destinations.

“The delegates will have the opportunity to see the transformation the city has undergone since their last visit over a decade ago,” Gibbons adds.